Beauty and the Dragon
by Junjou Writer
Summary: CURRENTLY ON HOLD; MAY BE DISCONTINUED! I'M VERY VERY SORRY!
1. Sacrifice

Prologue

The people of the small village of Domino both feared and loved their dragon protector. They loved it because it kept them from harm and misfortune. They feared it because of the unimaginable power that they have seen firsthand. And though they fear him, they know he would never turn against them. It was his fate.

"Joey, where are you going?" Téa asked her blond haired friend. Joey froze and looked over at the ditzy brunette with a light smile. "You aren't thinking of... that are you?" she demanded. (1)

"I am... I have to... it is for the village Téa. If I do this the dragon will find a way to bring the river back to us. Something is blocking it and if I sacrifice myself for him, he will fix it." Joey said with his trademark grin.

"Can't you get someone else to do it, man?" Tristan whispered with a broken voice. His best friend was going to die and there was nothing he could do about it. Joey only shook his head. "What if... we all went searching up the river and found it and fixed it ourselves?"

"Then the dragon would die because it would symbol that we no longer need him. And if he does, who would protect us from other dragons and raiders? We've all seen his power. The Great Dragon is unstoppable. We need him to protect us." Little Yugi said softly. He grabbed Joey's hand and stared up at the warm and happy brown eyes as his own violet eyes quivered with tears. "We'll never forget you Joey." He whimpered slightly.

"Aahh, Yug..." Joey hugged the small boy and rubbed his back comfortingly. "Don't worry... I'm sure everything will be fine." He promised. "You take good care of your grandpa alright Yug? And Tristan, don't even think about going up the river. Téa, your dad is calling you." Joey advised them all and was given silent nods in this solemn moment. They walked behind him to the temple and watched him go in. The doors started to close as he turned around and gave them all a thumbs-up and his bright grin.

"Stupid curse, stupid dragon. I hate it all." Tristan muttered. He glared at the temple doors which stated the requirements for a sacrifice to the dragon.

The sacrifice had to be male.

The sacrifice had to be young.

The sacrifice had to be someone who was loved greatly by others.

The sacrifice had to be willing to die.

"Hey! Guys! The river just started flowing again!" They all turned to see small and fragile Ryou running towards them full speed. He stopped before them. "The water came back just a second ago!" he said excitedly. "No one has to..." slowly, he took in their sad faces, their place in front of the temple, and their missing member. "Joey didn't... did he?" he asked in horror.

"He did. All because that stupid spell that the elders cast." Tristan grumbled. He growled slightly and walked back towards the village. If the dragon had done it, then he had already gotten Joey's sacrifice and solved the problem in a matter of seconds.

"You know, when I was a young lad, there was a story about the dragon and its true whereabouts." Yugi's slightly deranged grandfather Solomon said as he appeared from behind a tree. Tristan stumbled back as they all sat to hear it.

"Tell us grandpa." Yugi urged. The man sat before them and tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Well... once upon a time, there was an orphan. He had travelled to the village in search of shelter and protection. But none gave it to him. Instead, the villagers threw rocks at him and threatened to kill him. He was so very lonely. Then one day... a boy snuck him food. The boy had very messy and somewhat long black hair and very innocent violet eyes. He brought the orphan shelter and cared for his injuries but he was found out and killed for breaking community law." Solomon paused and watched all their horror filled faces. "Outraged, the boy went to the center of the town and cried, holding the boy to his chest. His pain and sorrow at losing his only friend turned him into a dragon with a need for revenge. He attacked the village, destroying huts and setting everything aflame."

"So how did he become our protector?" Téa asked interestedly.

"That's where the spell of the elders came in. It is said that the shaman and elders of the village gathered and each sacrificed their youngest son to seal the dragon and force it to protect our village. The dragon was caught under the influence of the spell and is brought to never harm the village." Yugi frowned and looked at the looming temple.

"What happens... if a sacrifice is not made on time and the doors close?" he asked with foreboding.

"The spell will break and the dragon will destroy everything. Or so it was told to me by my grandfather. And he was there, just a young boy at the time, but he was there. He said the dragon was the most frightening thing he'd ever seen. But he also said that the look in the boy's eyes before he turned into a dragon was even more frightening."

"What did his eyes look like?" Yugi leaned closer.

"They looked like the eyes of a demon, a monster who promised death for all who got in his sights. And he did just that." Solomon was silent. "But enough about that. It's just a story from a crackpot old fool from another crackpot old fool. Let's go home and enjoy some nice warm motsuyaki (2)." The old man said, standing up and leading the way.

Yugi stopped and looked at the large stone doors with the dragon depiction. He wondered what it was like inside, and if Joey was still... alive.

TBC

1 – I used the English dub names in here but not Joey's Brooklyn accent, though he still has his petname for yugi.

2 – motsuyaki is a Japanese all meat shish kebab. Chicken, pork, and beef giblets cooked on a skewer.

So tell me how it was please! I need to know if it's a good read.


	2. The Dragon's Castle

Chapter 1 ~ The Dragon's Castle

Joey slowly woke up, feeling his head pounding rapidly. The last thing he remembered was sitting on the stone slab in the temple before feeling very very dizzy and sleepy. Now he was laying on a large silk bed in a room that was as big as his entire house and a balcony like his back yard!

"Ne... where the hell am I? And how did I get here?" he mumbled, staring around the room once more.

"Oh, you're awake." A voice like waves crashing against the rocks called. Joey looked to the doorway to see a man who looked remarkably just like his best friend. The only difference was that his eyes were more intellectual and sharp rather than innocent and hopeful, his blonde bangs had more spike and gravity-defiantness about them, he was a bit taller, and his skin was much tanner.

"Who are you?" Joey demanded. "Where am I?"

"You are in the Dragon's castle, and my name is Atem. I am the dragon's most trusted companion." He said. He wore an all black yukata (1) with a blue obi (2). "Here is your uchikake (3), please put it on before going to see the master." Atem held out a red kimono with a black obi and a haori (4) that was black with red fire-like swirls on it for Joey to take.

"An uchikake?" Joey took it and stared at it. He didn't know whether to be appalled or gracious for the expensive beautiful clothing.

"Don't worry, you have several different yukata, kimono, and other clothes in your wares. And if you do not like the designs on them, I will personally get you knew ones. Please hurry and put this on before greeting the master. Someone will be outside to lead you to him when you are done." Atem turned to leave.

"Wait...do I call the dragon... master too?" Joey asked. Atem smirked at him.

"You will call him, what he tells you to call him." Atem said simply before leaving. Joey sighed and put on the nagajugan (5) and the rest of the kimono feeling strange and pampered in all actuality. He was more used to wearing a brown happi (6) over all this traditional wear.

When he was finished dressing, Joey walked out of the room and was greeted by a man about his age with long black hair and very lovely green eyes. His skin was a deep tan and he wore an all blue unamori (7).

"Joseph Wheeler... you are ready to meet the master?" Joey nodded. "Alright let's go." He started walking. The castle was bright and warm, the walls were grey stone but the floors were warm. There were no creepy statues or suits of armor, just designs on the walls of dragons, animals, and people in love.

"So... what's your name?" Joey asked, hoping to get rid of the silence.

"Duke Devlin. I'm a guard of the princess. If you stay, I'll probably be the one to show you around and accompany you off of the castle grounds." Duke said simply.

"Guard of the princess? There's a princess in this castle?" Joey asked with a tilt of his head.

"Yeah, you." Duke laughed when Joey basically barked in surprise. He really was just like a dog as the master said. He stopped outside large wooden doors. "Here we are. The master is just through these doors." He grabbed Joey's shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "When you see him, just remember that he will never hurt you unless you ask him to. He is a gentleman and no matter how disgusting or rude or mean he is, he would never physically hurt you."

"Right..." Joey gulped then turned to the doors. He slowly pushed it open and entered the room.

TBC

1 – A Yukata is a casual form of kimono often worn when around friends and in the summer.

2 – the Obi (literally "sash") is the belt of the kimono, the length and width varies with the type of kimono.

3 – An Uchikake is the most formal type of kimono.

4 – A Haori is a light silk jacket

5 – Nagajugan are kimono undergarments

6 – the Happi is a straight-sleeved cotton kimono coat worn most commonly by house servants, organizations, fire fighters, and shop employees as they have a distinctive crest on the back

7 – Unamori is a form of Hakama with divided legs that were worn originally by just men however women wear them commonly now as well.

OMG, I did so much research for the clothing in this story. I went with joey wearing just a happi and regular pants because I couldn't find the name of those outfits the peasants wore, the ones with the short boy skirt with nothing else. I couldn't find it so I went with a simple happi and pajama pants to show his stature in the society. I'll explain what the others wear in a later chapter. REVIEW PLEASE! THANKIES!


	3. The Dragon

Chapter 2 ~ The Dragon

Joey stared around the large lovely ballroom. There was an entire wall of glass windows that shined crystal light across the white marble floor and beautiful white walls. There were small statues of beautiful dragons in each corner of the room and the wall not made of beautiful crystal glass was covered entirely in a mural that depicted a great white dragon curled into itself as people used magic to harm it. Joey thought at first that it was the dragon dying until he looked closer and saw that the dragon was hovering and protecting a small human form with its body and wings. Joey felt like crying as he stared at it.

On the left side there was a crying boy who slowly turned into a dragon as he held the body of another boy in his arms. The dragon destroyed a village and people of the village killed their sons. A temple was created and young men walked into it to sacrifice themselves, the last being a blond. Then the blond was wearing expensive clothes and dancing with a man with chestnut hair and deep blue eyes. Then people attacked and the man turned into a dragon to protect the boy. And that was the end of the mural. It didn't say whether or not everything was alright in the end.

"Oh my god... that's so... sad..." Joey whispered. He stared at the wall as tears slipped down his face. He had no idea why it made him feel so sad inside.

"Do you like it? It is my story." A strong deep alluring voice asked from right behind him. Joey jumped and turned around quickly. Standing behind him was a tall, pale skinned, chestnut haired, handsome man with deep frightening blue eyes. Joey gaped at the handsome man.

"You're history? Who are you?" he asked, backing away. Joey stared up at him.

"My name is Seto Yagami (1), you know me better as the "Great Dragon"." Seto said. He gave a small smirk. Joey looked back at the mural.

"So all of this really happened? What about the end? The blond?" Joey asked. "Was everything alright?" Seto chuckled and seemed to contemplate this.

"Maybe not all of my history. My past and future. Seto walked to the image of the blond boy walking into the temple. "The time frame is currently right here." He placed his hand on it and sighed.

"Will... it end in happiness?" Joey asked softly, realizing with a bright blush that the blond was him.

"That's not my decision." Seto turned to look at him. "Atem painted it; he can read the future with his millennium pendant." He became silent. "So now you need to tell me something. Do you wish to stay here with us? I'll give you a week to decide so don't say anything yet." He pressed a finer to Joey's mouth. "Do you like the clothes?"

"Y-yes." Joey found himself unable to speak. "They're very beautiful and I've never worn anything this nice. I feel like a... princess." The last word came out as a grumble. He laughed and it was a sweet sound. "Man, I don't know what Duke was talking about. You're not scary or rude or mean at all."

"That's because I'm in a good mood." Seto said with a smirk. Joey gulped. "You go ahead and go tour the place, have fun. I'll have Atem get you when it's dinner time." He said. He walked and pushed open the glass window wall with a simple push. Joey stared. He stepped out and started changing. He turned into a large white dragon with scales like armor and dark blue eyes (2).

"He really is the dragon... I thought he was just joking..." Joey stared open mouthed. Then something clicked in his head. "I SHOULD'VE ASKED HIM WHY HE DIDN'T KILL ME!" He shouted, gripping his hair (3).

TBC

1 – I read a couple stories where this was Seto's real last name I just took it for truth and now I know it might not be but I thought it would fit for this story.

2 – it's kinda like a take on beauty and the beast only Seto is both the beauty _and_ the beast, get it? eh? EH?

3 – Joey forgot to ask because, let's face it, he's not the brightest crayon in the box and he got easily distracted by the mural and the story and the sexy dragon guy


End file.
